Back
by MapleTreeway
Summary: A year past since Chihiro had been in the Spirit World. One. Whole. Year. She was picked on and bullied in school, she was always sent to the headmaster's office for something she never did, and her mother would never listen to her. So, after a fight, Chihiro runs away back to the Spirit World. But is it the refuge she asked for?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I just watched Spirited Away and thought it was one of the BEST Anime Movies EVER! So I decided to do a Fan Fiction on it. R&R please!**

**Disclaimer: Nope! It goes to Studio Ghilbli. **

One year.

One year passed since Chihiro discovered the Spirit World, since she made friends with Spirits of all sorts.

One year passed since she had last seen Kohaku, or Haku as she liked to call him. She still remembered his promise:

"_Will we see each other again?" Chihiro asked Haku._

_He gazed in her eyes, "Yes, soon, I promise…"_

And so it was a year since she had heard his voice last, a distant memory in the imagination. Although Chihiro was certain that it wasn't her imagination, she was positive it was real.

She would have to _force _it to be real anyway, give or take her new school and the people within it who would call her names and tease her of the stories she told of the Spirit World and her friends in it. They accused her of being mental or being delusional, and none of the girls that were in Chihiro's grade or class would come near her and be her friend because of the lies the heard - Chihiro resembled the lies that floated around the school were like Evil Spirits that flew aimlessly around causing chaos.

So Chihiro would sit down at a table each day with a bunch of nice looking girls each day and smile. The schoolgirls, however, shrank away upon looking at Chihiro, as if she was an infected dog; and would pick up their lunch bags and leave. It went on like that for the first half of the school year, until poor Chihiro got the hint and gave up trying to make friends and stuck to sitting on the ground as far away as possible from everyone as could be.

"Hey, Spirit Head!" a menacingly gruff voice asked while Chihiro was eating her sandwich on a patch of grass.

She didn't respond but kept staring at the daisy she was inspecting. When the boy called again, slightly more annoyed, she remained the same: Eating her sandwich and continue staring at the white clothed daisy.

"Hey, Spirit Head, didn't I tell you a few days ago that you should answer me whenever I call?" the voice was close now. _Too close,_ Chihiro thought, but she looked up as to avoid trouble.

A boy about eleven with dark, raven black hair that was cut short at his ears stood in front of her. He was a good deal taller than her, half-a-foot. He wore jeans and a new black t-shirt that had Chihiro's face on it inside a crossed-out circle. His eyes were as black as his hair, and where his lips were, he wore a scowl.

Chihiro wasn't afraid of him compared to what she had seen in the Spirit World. So she spoke coolly, "What is it Arashi?" she thought his name resembled him well, as it meant Storm.

"I told you, Spirit Head that you were supposed to answer me when I call!" Arashi's voice was angry.

"I remember nothing."

"Well now you know!"

Chihiro just smiled. "I answer to no one, Arashi. You should know that by now."

"Get up, stupid girl - now."

"No. And if I'm so stupid, than why am I not a bully like you?" _Bad mistake,_ Chihiro thought.

Arashi's face turned red and he looked like he was about to blow over in anger. His hands clenched into fists and his eyes darkened, if that was even possible. "You know what you are?" he started. "You're nothing but a delusional girl that's eleven. Nothing but disgrace to your family, did you know that, retard?"

Unperturbed by his anger the eleven year old girl kept smiling and said, "No I don't. But would you be a disgrace when you saved your parents from becoming pigs for slaughter?"

A shoe flew out of nowhere and hit Chihiro in the face, and when Chihiro recovered a bunch of Arashi's cronies were standing right behind him. All of them laughed at her while blood dripped down from her nose while her eyes looked ready to cry.

"Hey Crybaby, next time don't mess with Arashi – you hear?" A slender girl with big brown eyes and black hair sang, standing on the grass missing a shoe.

"I would neber dream ob messing wit Arashi, bu' he started it." Chihiro explained holding her head back and pinching her nose to stop the bleeding.

The girl, Kim, raced to where Arashi was laughing so hard he was crying. "Did she hurt you, Arashi?" she asked in a voice of coddling. When Arashi nodded, she asked, "What did she do this time?"

Arashi pointed a finger for all to see at Chihiro and spoke loud enough for the group standing behind him, "She told me I was stupid, and retarded. She called me Spirit Head, too! And she _hit_ me, Kim, she _hit_ me! Then, she called me a bully, of all the possible things!"

"Would you want me to talk to her?" Arashi nodded at the question.

When Kim walked briskly to where Chihiro was sitting – with her nose still pinched and to the sky – Chihiro sensed trouble. She quickly got up and ran among the grass and daisies and the occasional dirt patches, with Kim right at her heels all the way.

Another shoe hit Chihiro in the back, hard; and she fell. Footsteps were heard drawing closer to where she lay, and she closed her eyes. The footsteps stopped after a few seconds and a hiss was heard in Chihiro's ear saying, "Chihiro Ogino, you are not to mess with poor Arashi, understood? If I see you near him one more time, you won't live to see the next day. And if you even _dare_ talk back at me or Arashi, then consequences will follow. So from now on, don't give any of us grief, but obey and answer to him, got that?"

Kim was expecting a nod, but none came. The only reply was, "I've told Arashi many times before, I answer to no one other than my parents, the schoolmaster, and the Spirits that are my friends."

Kim yanked on Chihiro's brown hair causing her to scream, and retrieved a purple hair tie that shined. "Oh look here, what is this? A fancy hair-tie, oh _thoughtful _for you to give it to me!" she said sounding fake as she released the hair that she was holding. She replaced her hold with a foot pressed heavily on Chihiro's back.

Chihiro pounded the ground with her fists, as if in tantrum. "GIVE IT BACK!" she screamed. "IT'S MINE! GRANNY GAVE IT TO ME! GIVE IT BACK!"

"No, I think I'll keep it."

"GIVE IT BACK! IT HAS NO USE TO YOU! YOU'LL JUST DREAM OF SPIRITS! GIVE IT BACK!" The foot left her back and she heard Kim walking away, but Chihiro didn't care. So she just laid there crying at her loss.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to that one reviewer! Here's the second chapter!**

Chihiro walked into her house that she had been living in for one year. She hoped she could get to her room to do homework before her mother saw her and asked why her hair was a mess and why she had dried blood on her nose.

It didn't help much that Chihiro's mother was waiting right in the living room waiting for her daughter, a sullen expression on her face. The eleven year old girl stopped in her tracks and braced herself for the worst.

"What happened, Chihiro?" her mother asked crossing her arms.

"Nothing happened," Chihiro answered her mother shaking her head.

"Something did happen, the schoolmaster called. He said that you got in a fight with Arashi and Kim, said that you called Arashi some very mean names. Then you chased Kim and threw your shoe at her, and when she fell you yanked on her hair and pulled away her favorite hair-tie."

"That's not true! Arashi called me Spirit Head and stupid and a bunch of other mean names! And Kim threw her shoe at _me_ and took away the hair-tie Granny gave _me_ while she yanked on _my _hair. It's the complete opposite, Arashi and she probably told the schoolmaster that while I was waiting for my turn to tell him what happened."

Chihiro's mother rubbed her temples. "Why do you keep getting into fights, Chihiro? Poor Kim and Arashi, the schoolmaster told me what everybody else saw."

"What everybody else saw was a lie. No one likes me in that school; everybody follows Arashi like he is a God, and shuns me like I'm a monster from the Spirit World."

"Why do you keep going on about the Spirit World? It doesn't exist; it's only a religious belief - no wonder why things happen the way they do!"

Chihiro was taken aback. "Don't you remember eating the Spirit Food and turning into pigs? I saved you and Daddy from becoming pigs for slaughter! You should remember!" _But they don't, _she thought sadly. _Their memory has been erased. They don't remember the Spirit World; all they remember is the tunnel and a grassy field. It's not fair!_

"That's it Chihiro! We are getting you to a counselor; you just can't keep going on like this! You take everything out on your classmates at school so you can get into fights! It's not healthy." Chihiro's mother was angry. Her face was red and her hands were balled into fists. When Chihiro didn't respond, she said through clenched teeth, "Go to your room."

"No! It's not fair; no one sides with me when I've done nothing wrong! It's always Arashi and Kim, it's not fair! I've had enough of the Human World, I hate it here. I'm going back to the Spirit World where I at least have friends!" Chihiro was on the brink of crying, but she didn't. Instead, she set her backpack down slowly and then dashed out the door.

Chihiro ran as fast as she could before her mother had time to register what happened. Above her, clouds were densely packed together in grays and whites. In front of her, the neighborhood laid out endlessly, but Chihiro wasn't about to take that path, for she cut through the weeds and stumbled down the steep hill. Tears flew from her eyes, not from the wind but from emotion. _It doesn't matter, _she thought as she reached the bottom of the hill and ran in-between the trees. _I'll soon see Haku, Rin, Jamajii, Granny, and No-face. They'll understand for sure._

Chihiro looked to her right; she saw the shrines so she ran faster. While running she gazed upward and saw vines, moss, occasional spider webs, leaves, and some birds' nest – she didn't stop then but only ran faster. Statues of Spirits stood at the side of the dirt road; once they had scared Chihiro but now they no longer did.

A few minutes more passed and Chihiro's legs and lungs seemed like they were going to burst or collapse; her heart thumped faster and faster; her throat felt like it was in a drought and desperately needed water; and her head felt like it was going to faint. She only stopped running when she spotted the statue that her father had almost run into when she first saw the Spirit World.

Chihiro sighed with relief.

Panting, she looked up to see the old, red tower. The tower seemed the same apart from more moss clinging to it and an occasional vine.

She closed her eyes and mentally thanked the Spirits.

Chihiro opened her eyes and looked at the pitch black tunnel. She didn't want to take another step but knew she had to or else she'd be in big trouble if her parents found out – not to mention if Arashi would find out, because Arashi's gang would never let her hear the end of it.

She took a step in without glancing back at the Human World.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's been a while, I feel so horrible! Sorry about it! Please Read and review! That would make my day!**

**Disclaimer: Studio Ghilbli.**

Chihiro ran through the tunnel and out into the grassy field and didn't stop until she reached the bridge where she had first met Haku. Wiping off tears from her eyes, she slowly walked across it until she reached the middle, all the while marveling at how it had not changed. She looked up at the sky, but since it was cloudy she didn't know if it was close to sunset. So she looked at the vent from the boiler room, saw it smoking, then called out, "Haku! Haku! It's me, Chihiro! It's me, Sen!"

Silence.

"Haku!"

Silence again.

Blinking back tears, Chihiro waited wondering what was taking him so long. She waited and waited until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She slumped against the bridge's wooden wall and wept. The tears spilled freely and Chihiro didn't know when she had ever felt so alone before.

Time passed and the world became a little darker with still no sign of Haku. Chihiro's tears had run dry and she had become silently aware of the growing darkness. Getting up, she crept the remainder of the bridge to the bathhouse. From there, she followed the same path Haku had taken her when she had first came there until she was standing under the same exact bush as before. Inside, Chihiro could hear the staff working; no one had seemed to notice her.

Closing her eyes, she tried to remember where the backdoor was, where Haku had shown her where it was. Suddenly she felt a hand touch her forehead and a voice explaining how to find Kamajii. Her eyes flew open when she recognized that the voice was Haku's, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. Pushing herself off the ground, she raced toward the backdoor, the voice leading her. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Chihiro yelled.

Thrusting the backdoor open, she was about to race down the steps when she halted, trembling. They were just so long and horrifyingly _steep._ Haku's voice unexpectedly became very close to Chihiro's ear and said, _"It's alright, Sen. You're doing fine, I promise you won't fall…"_

Chihiro whipped her head around but saw nothing. So she screamed out into mid-air, "You said we would see each other soon! You promised, but it's been a year already! That's not soon Haku!" then her voice became quiet, "You promised…"

"_Chihiro…"_

"AAAHH!" Chihiro yelled as she flung herself down the stairs, her feet barely touching the wooden planks. And then BAM! She crashed into the wall at the bottom of the stairs… again. "Ow…" she complained rubbing her sore nose.

"_This way…"_

"I'm coming!"

Stumbling before regaining her balance, she trudged on toward the Boiler Room. The hot air was the same as ever when she opened the door and walked in. Still walking, Chihiro made her way to the opening and spotted Kamajii doing his work; as did the soot balls. Stepping forward, she watched them work before speaking, "Kamajii?"

Kamajii turned his head around and behind the glasses his eyes widened. "Sen, what are you doing here?"

Chihiro bowed before continuing to speak, "I came back."

"Came back? Why?"

Chihiro didn't answer, but instead looked down at her feet.

"Take a break!" Kamajii hollered to the soot balls that were now crowding around Chihiro's feet. The soot balls quickly went inside their den. Kamajii then turned back to Chihiro as she walked across the floor until she stood a only few feet away from him. "Now," he said. "What happened?"

Chihiro looked up before telling Kamajii everything that had happened in a rush. Then, she started to cry.

"Oh Sen…. Here, eat this. You're about to disappear," Kamajii said holding out a dumpling to the almost-invisible girl.

Chihiro nodded and ate it with the tears still falling down her cheeks. At once she turned back to normal, and when she finished she asked, "Do you think Yobaba would let me work here again?"

Kamajii scratched his chin, "I don't know. You could try, but you and Yobaba never really caught on well last time."

"Oh."

"Back to work!" he screamed at the soot balls making Chihiro jump. "You can stay here until Rin comes. She'll take you to Yobaba."

Chihiro thanked him and bowed. Then sat down and watched the soot balls work, wondering if Rin would have still remembered her.


End file.
